Migraine-The worst pain under the sun.

In this blog I want say about my experience with MIGRAINE

What is a migraine? The diagnosis

Migraine is a chronic disease that causes a nuisance headaches. Migraine headache is the most symptomatic and most severe symptom of migraine. It is estimated that migraine can suffer up to 20% of the population. Both the incidence and scale of migraine that can paralyze the patient's daily life, make the disease is still a major challenge for medicine.

Not every headache is a migraine. Migraine headaches from other notable features:

The pain is paroxysmal, is described as throbbing,

Migraine pain usually starts on one side,

Migraine pain is strong and there is a chronic,

Attacks of migraine can last from 4 to 72 hours,

Pain can occur kilkunastominutowych cycles or continuously for several hours,

Seizures are recurrent migraine, depending on the patient between each attacks can last from several days to several months,

Migraine, is so annoying that limits daily activity on daily life

Who gets migraine?

Migraine is a disease, which suffers greater number of women than in men. This imbalance deepens especially after puberty. Most often succumb to her middle-aged people. At this time, it may suffer as much as 25% of women and almost 10% of men. The condition occurs not only in adults but also children, among whom migraine is at the level of 4-5% of all boys and girls up to 12 years of age.

After this time, the incidence of migraine is growing rapidly, which primarily affects girls and women. Along with the menopause, as well as the aging, migraine persists in most cases in women as in men. It is estimated that migraine suffers only 5% siedemdziesięciolatków. The most common illness lasts a lifetime with periods of exacerbation and remission. It sometimes happens that the disease may disappear during pregnancy.

Genetic factors and the occurrence of migraine

Genetic factors play a rather important role with regard to the occurrence of migraines. In nearly 70% of patients with migraine, cases of migraine in the family. This confirms that the predisposition to diseases are hereditary. Treatment of migraine is limited primarily to the use of pharmacological agents. You can not directly prevent migraines, because the disease is treated only symptomatically.

Characteristics and symptoms of migraine

There are two main varieties of migraine - migraine without aura and migraine with aura accompanies it.

Migraine without aura

Migraine without aura is the most common form of migraine - it affects nearly 80% of people suffering from this disease.

"It is characterized by pain syndrome lasting from 4 to 72 hours, the most troublesome is strong, throbbing headache, mainly located in the vicinity of the temple."

  However, sometimes the pain includes orbit or lot forehead. A characteristic feature is the one-sidedness of the occurrence of symptoms. Pain is not the only symptom associated with migraine. Patients pester running in a fit of migraine nausea, leading sometimes vomiting. Other symptoms are hypersensitive to smells, sounds and light.

Migraine with aura

Migraine with aura is rarer and it applies to 15% of patients with migraine.

"It is characterized by the presence of so-called. Aura, or a combination of symptoms prior to the onset of headache."

Its members are primarily visual symptoms - sickle or zigzag mirages, pulsating or shiny spots or dark spots occurring mainly on one side. It may also take the form of restrictions, sometimes quite substantial, or to "clear" in the field of view. Sometimes there is a perceived image distortion. Aura may also include dizziness, or loss of appetite. Other features of migraine with aura is the possibility of the emergence of periodic limb numbness, difficulty in speaking and concentration.

Other forms of migraine

Within the above-described two variants of migraine distinguish many different types. More on this topic we can find in the article "The types of migraine." Note, however, that the figures which it has migraine are not always typical. Sometimes, they represent a compilation of symptoms characteristic of the different types of the disease. There are for example. Accidents occurrence same aura without following her pain. Sometimes patients suffer only visual aura symptoms occurring chronic - the so-called. Optical snow. It is therefore particularly important in the treatment of migraine is the cooperation of the patient with a medical specialist.

The diagnosis

Only your doctor can a diagnosis of migraine. Headaches can be caused by many different reasons.

"Often it happens that patients mistakenly claim that suffer from migraine, while the cause of their pain is completely different."

In addition to thoroughly conducted medical history are important appropriately selected diagnostic tests to definitely confirm or exclude the disease. In order to diagnosis the doctor will collect accurate intelligence regarding observed by the patient's clinical symptoms. Very helpful in conducting this interview is a regular migraine diary.

In addition to a general examination of the patient sometimes neurological examination performed. Particularly useful for the differentiation of other causes of migraine headaches is a CT scan. The diagnosis of migraine are now used criteria developed by the Classification of Headache Disorders and the International Headache Society.

treatment of migraine

Migraine is a disease whose course is very individual.

"Just as triggers of migraine attacks, many patients are different - same symptoms, severity of pain, as well as ways of dealing with it can be different for each patient."

After the diagnosis, when the first attacks, the patient may not know what exactly should be done to cope with the pain. That is why it is extremely important to remain under close medical supervision (preferably a neurologist). It is important to observe your body, so you know what in this case produces the best results, which will help to alleviate pain and a faster return to normal activity.